Through The Eyes Of The Enemy
by OceanicMuse
Summary: Mario and Bowser see what each others lives are like after switching bodies which was caused by a magikoopa casting a spell fed up with the feud between the two and the wars it has created over the decades. Will Mario see the wrong in his ways after all these years, will Bowser too see the same will they both have a understanding of each other? Will the Kingdom finally have peace?
1. Hidden In The Mushrooms

Noises of coins can be heard popping out from metal yellow boxes with white question marks elegantly etched upon them with such precision and craftsmanship. The sky is a lovely shade of blue with fluffy cotton clouds floating in above the strange land, below we can see a man hitting his head upon the blocks frantically searching for something. What is it he is searching for one can only wonder, not to mention how his head is not hurting. Maybe we should zoom in a bit closer just to hear what he is saying to the man in green who is watching as well as the strange toadstool that is almost human like. The man with blue overalls, brunette hair and mustache, with ice cold blue eyes, and a red hat upon his head pauses and loudly shouts back to his onlookers, "HEY! Guys I feel these blocks have nothing but coins!" The taller man with blue overalls, brunette hair and mustache, with warm welcoming blue eyes, and a green hat responds, "Mario, we got to keep going brother if we want to find the Power Flower. We got to save the princess, I know this war has been draining on us all but we must get her back." Then the mushroom like humanoid vocalizes words as well, "He's right Mario we need to find it to save Peach because without her the Mushroom Kingdom has been in chaos these past few months. The people are rioting in the streets, there is panic, and people are starting to allow Koopa's troops into their homes rather than deal with no sense of security because the rest of the royal guard have been dispatched to fight on front lines." Mario walks towards his companions and says " Toad, Luigi, I know you guys have your worries and concerns but hitting my head on blocks is getting tiresome shouldn't we just storm the castle without it?, It has been 4 weeks I have been searching for this Power Flower, time is being wasted!" Luigi responds to his brother, "No, we can't just storm the castle this time, Bowser has a new weapon he has hired the greatest Magic Koopa in all the land!" Mario with a bit of a egotistical tone in his voice says, "Well, I got the most strongest of legs and the best stomping boots in this whole kingdom! Magic Koopa can't beat this." The short but fierce plumber then throws some punches in the air ending with a uppercut punch and then says, "Look at this bro, now lets just storm the heck out of that dumb overgrown turtle's castle!" The taller plumber in green and his fungus friend let out a sigh they then respond in harmony, "Fine, let's go then but we both think you are underestimating the enemy and making a huge mistake!"

* * *

The three continue to walk up a long winding path as the strange trees with faces stare down upon them from their leaf covered gaze just smiling with a bizarre squiggle face that it is somewhat disturbing. Luigi shivers with slight fear in his eyes as he looks up back at them he then lets out a slightly tremble in his words, "M-ari-o…. I don't likkke this forest… ehhhhh" Toad then says, "Yeah I am not sure what is more freaky the daze in their eyes or that dead man's curb they have for a smile!" Mario stops and turns around looking at his two companions and then up at the trees shrugs his shoulders with arrogance and responds, "Guys, there is nothing to worry about this is called the Illusion Forest for a reason the only thing we should be worried about is Wigglers and that bubble coming out of their nose." Toad then with a slight widening of his eyes goes "But ummm Mario those guys are usually just sleeping?!" Mario then says while balling up his fist and hitting the palm of his hand, "Exactly Toad! The enemy sleeps so it's the best time to strike before they strike us with their blind rage and fury!" Toad then smacks his forehead and says "But Mario, they wouldn't attack in the first place if you just step around them man.." Mario interrupts Toad and says in a egotistical manner "But they are usually in the way where I am walking. See like this guy!" Mario then jumps off to the side of the path and starts bouncing on the gentle sleeping yellow caterpillar dawning a beautiful white flower behind it's ear, the creature then turns a blood red and its eyes begin to burn with a rage of fire. Mario then says "See look at this!" Toad and Luigi look on shocked and both state "But he wasn't even on the dirt path….. He was like 10 feet away….."

* * *

Nightfall starts to fall and settle in on the forest as the moon makes her lovely appearance known shining down we find our strange band of heroes starting to set up camp in where else the middle of the path way. Toad and Luigi roll out the tents and get them set up while Mario starts a fire. They then gather around the now lit fire and a conversation begins among the friends. Mario says, "So tomorrow morning we should reach the castle that's when I am going to whoop some Bowser ass!" Luigi responds nervously, "Yeah Bro, you are going to do just that…." Toad randomly spurts, "Its marshmallow time!" Toad pulls out from underneath his mushroom cap a bag of marshmallows and starts poking them on some nearby sticks and hovering them over the fire. Luigi grabs one and does the same. Mario grabs one and looks at it he decides it is missing something he looks long and hard at the fluffy marshmallow he then pulls out randomly a jar of tomato sauce and noodles and shouts, "PASTA MALLOWS!" Toad and Luigi turn and look at him with a shocked expression as the gooey mess somehow roasts into the perfect spaghetti combined with marshmallows. Mario then puts the amazing spectacle in his mouth and consumes it and with delight in his eyes turns to his companions and says "Man, that was delicious do you guys want one?" Toad and Luigi look at each other and say "No thanks we are good last time you ran out of pasta on the trail we had to make a pit stop at a village and make more." Mario then says, "Yeah guess you guys are right, anyways I am done eating so I am going to hit the hay." Mario walks into his tent that is red and brightly displays a white circle with a red letter "M" in the middle of it, where he settles down in his sleeping bag for the night. Luigi and Toad both decide to retreat to their tents too, which Luigi's is similar to Mario's except it is green with the letter "L" and Toad's is just decorated with red and white spots on it resembling a mushroom and has the royal crest on the side of it a symbol of the house of Toadstool.

* * *

As our heroes snore into the night, a pair of eyes has been watching them from the green fluffy bushes and is now making it's way towards the tent its feet sound like the silent march of a thousand soldiers and it's skin is a pale yellow under the moonlight it's body covered partially in bandages. The form slinks its way swiftly to Mario's tent where suddenly we hear a loud yelp, this awakens Luigi who runs to Mario's tent to find a wiggler pouncing up and down on his body the now awake plumber shouts to Luigi "MAMA MIA! Yeooow! Get this thing off of me Brother!" Luigi responds with a slight snicker but shakes his head to try and mask it, "Well, Bro I think this is karma you did stomp on him in his sleep." Mario then responds with a slight annoyance, "Yes, Luigi I did just that but he was in our path way! Now please do something!" Luigi then says with a sigh "Fine…." Luigi then walks closer to the wiggler and taps him on the shoulder, which causes the wiggler to pause and look at him while still standing on Mario pinning him down to the ground.

* * *

The wiggler suddenly vocalizes to the brother in green, "What do you want green man?" Luigi then with a gentle reasoning tone in his voice says, "Well, Mr. Wiggler I was wondering if you could stop stomping on my brother I think he has had enough…. And besides why stoop to his level and do this?" The wiggler responds, "Because he has done this for years to my people and he needed to see how it felt! But I guess you are right I'll stop stomping if you give me that supply of jarred spaghetti over there." Luigi questions, "All of it?" The wiggler answers, "YES! All of it, I am going to take it home and feed it to my wife and kids tonight since your brother also last time while in this forest decided to let his green horse eat most of our apples, that we have been surviving off of acorns!" Luigi then says with a kind look in his eyes, "Well, take it then and I am sure my brother will no longer bother you or your people again as he has learned his lesson, right Mario?" Mario while still crushed lets out a winded response, "Yes, ouch, I will never mess with them again…. Now please get off me!" The wiggler steps of the red hatted plumber and walks off with the supply of spaghetti swiftly disappearing into the forest from whence he came. Mario then with a sigh says to Luigi, "Looks like we are stopping off at the next village to make some more spaghetti." Luigi then responds, "But brother there isn't another village for miles, we mind as well press on." Mario with dread in his eyes, "NOOOOOOOOO! Sigh, I guess we will have to hurry up and get Peach back, dang that wiggler!"


	2. Still On The Path Of Illusion

The sound of chirping birds can be heard in the distance as the light of the moon turns to a gleaming sunny day and the green of the forest comes alive, we find our three heroes to be waking up after their night of karma and strange marshmallows. We can see Mario let out a huge yawn as he stretches his sore and aching body he then exclaims as he gets up slowly and walks out of his tent coming face to face with both his comrades, "Well, guys that was a painful lesson last night! Man my body aches all over!" Toad then responds with a chuckle, "But I bet you won't make that mistake again." Mario pauses and then thinks to himself, "Yeah you are right about that." Luigi then interrupts the conversation between the two and says, "I think that is enough about last night let's get going." The three then begin to pack up their camping gear and head out to continue down the winding path. As they march on and on we start to see a clearing as the forest comes to an end finally and are journey is met with a raging sea.

* * *

Mario hops onto a grey boulder with his strong muscular legs and peers out into the distance, his eyes squinting and his hand on his forehead above his eyes to block out the very luminous sun. Luigi walks up beside him placing his gear on the ground. Suddenly behind him out of nowhere he hears squeaky noises and a boing sound as he finds a fungus on top of his head. Luigi then shouts, "What the heck, Toad?!" Toad exclaims in reply, "WATCH THIS!" He then does a quick spin on top of Luigi's head and lifts swiftly his hat airing it out like a parachute and out of the expanded hat he pulls a golden telescope, with elegant etching on the side. Toad then places it onto his eye and begins adjusting the sight turning the end with his hand until the view is crystal clear. Mario breaks from his focus and turns to his brother looks up and sees Toad on top his head and his brother's face full of confusion. Mario then inquires to Toad, "Hey do you see anything with that gadget of yours?" Toad replies, "Not… OH! Looks like a fortress in the distance and there is a sign on it, let me adjust…" Mario and Luigi exclaim in harmony, "What does it say?!" Toad then states after turning the end of the telescope, "It says looks like… B….O….W...S….E….R, I can't make out the second half but the first half definitely says Bowser." Mario then says, "Well, looks like we need to find a boat." Luigi then responds to his brother, "Where are we going to find one of those? Also Bowser now has a sign on his castle, for what?" Toad climbs down on top of Luigi's head and says, "I know where guys! Follow me!" Mario and Luigi look at each other both of their faces sort of nervous and unsure that the little fungus knows what he is talking about.

* * *

The two plumbers follow the short, squeaky shoed mushroom dude, they find themselves walking along the shoreline and suddenly Mario pauses in his tracks and starts to vocalize words saying something to the other two who suddenly stop a few feet away in their tracks, "Guys, my stomach is grumbling, where are we going? Does this village have pasta?" Toad turns around with a serious look on his face which then turns into an adorable smile and joyful glee in his eyes, "No, but they have fave dish trout delight with hazelnut soup. Also, we are heading to the fishing village called "Hazel Fish" it bears this name due to its delightful soup and the fact it mostly exports Hazelnuts and Fish to all corners of the Mushroom Kingdom in fact that is it's main commodity." Mario then responds with a saddened and disappointed look on his face, "Sooo… no pasta…. What kind of place is this…." Toad cheerfully replies, "No pasta! Now let's march forward!"

* * *

Our three heroes continue walking beside the shoreline as the waves bash swiftly against the beach, receding calmly back into the huge body of water. In the distance we can see buildings made up of what looks to be wooden houses, docks, and a few outlines of ships on the shouts, "EUREKA, we are HERE!" In the background we hear mutters from our plumber in red, what is said can't be made out but it isn't very cheerful sounding. As the three close in to the village and get closer we can see it is very lively with mushroom people doing their daily activities we even see a few shy guys in the crowd. Toad then says, "Okay guys we are here, Mario please be on your best behavior I know there are shy guys here but they are friendly and escaped Bowser's rule to live here peacefully." Mario replies, "Got it Toad, geez I am not a complete jerk." He then puts down the rock he found near by. Luigi then says "Ummm, right Bro, keep telling yourself that."

* * *

The three walk into a village past a sign that says "Welcome to Hazel Fish, our soup is the best in the land!" They are then greeted by what looks to be a shy guy in a light blue dress with a matching bow on its head and a mushroom man with purple spots on his cap and brown woven clothing with a dark green cloak and a emblem in the center, that is golden with a crown etched in the round circle. The two interesting characters say in harmony, "Welcome to our village, newcomers!" The mushroom man with purple spots on his cap then says with kindness and delight in his eyes and voice, "This is my wife Anoka and I am Maylark the mayor of this village. To whom do I have the pleasure of greeting on this early morning in my village?" Toad then states with a bit of joy in his voice "Mayor Maylark, I am Toad the princess Toadstool's royal sidekick and best friend, you may not remember me but I visited your when I was a wee lad with my parents Maple and Steve. Mayor Maylark pauses and then says in response, "Steve… oh you mean Moldy! Ah yes I remember your visit you were just a tiny little fellow, when your mother and father passed through here on their way east to Ember Falls near Chocolate to see your return young man, now who are these other two gentlemen who journey with you?" Mario steps forward and says, "I am Mario and this is my brother Luigi we are plumbers by trade but we also have rescued this kingdom from peril multiple times I am surprised you haven't heard of us." Maylark raises a brow and a grin forms on his face, " Ah yes, the famous Mario Brothers I have heard tales of your adventures but I always thought you would be more muscular and taller in person." Mario replies, "WHY you!" He then is interrupted by Luigi and Toad holding him back and saying nervously, "He's…. Sensitive about his height...It's alright Mario he didn't mean it that way…." Maylark replies, "Ah very well his vertically challenged stature can't be helped, let us proceed to the dining hall at my manor, where we shall feast upon our world famous trout fresh from the sea and delectable hazelnut soup." Anoka then says, "Yes, our chef Maddie makes the best hazelnut soup, her restaurant in the village has 5 stars in Gourmet Toadstool Magazine!"

* * *

They all walk further into the village where they come to Maylark's manor which is made of the finest oak wood imported all the way from Illusion forest or so the tiny golden plaque says beside the door underneath the words "Maylark's Manor". Inside they are greeted by his servants and seated in the dining hall where they are served each trout and hazelnut soup. Mario looks down at his plate in disappointment and fear. Luigi lifts his spoon sips a bit of the soup and seems to like the flavor as he continues to consume it. Toad of course has delight in his eyes as he starts to eat his cherished meal. Maylark and Anoka enjoy their meal as well. Maylark pauses from eating and inquires of the three, "So what brings you, on your journey to Hazel Fish?" Mario looks up from his barely eaten platter to say, "We are in need of a ship to travel to the island across the sea to rescue the princess from Bowser" Maylark responds, "I see, well I shall speak with Captain Stormy about taking you on his ship to the Island." Mario then responds to Maylark, "Thank you, Mayor Maylark now if you don't mind I would like to turn in early, I a very tired. Maylark then responds, "Sure one of the servants can show you to your room. Damsel will show you to your room." Mario pushes his chair in and steps away from the table to follow Damsel. In the distance we can see Toad, Luigi, Maylark, and Anoka continue to discuss various topics over their delightful meal.


	3. Sailing The Seas

The birds are chirping a lovely harmonious tune as the sun's luminous golden light covers the lively, bustling, village of Hazel Fish, where we last left off our heroes they were eating dinner at mayor Maylark's manor and now at this lovely dawn hour we find the groggy trio awakening. Mario slowly in a sleepy state gathers his demeanor and walks into the parlor of the manor to meet with Luigi and Toad. It is here he encounters mayor Maylark sitting in his easy lounge chair smoking a wooden pipe and reading the "Mushroom Times", a newspaper that reports on the local news happening in the kingdom. Mario glances at the headline which reads, "Four koopa paratroopers have stolen fish from the harbor". Mario pauses and wonders about why would the koopa paratroopers steal fish, because none of Bowser's minions eat fish, as most are oddly enough vegan or vegetarians. "What kind of scheme is Bowser brewing now?", Mario says to himself in his thoughts. Luigi and Toad enter the parlor finally and Toad says "HEY! Mario, why are you just standing there?!" Mario snaps out of his thoughts and replies to Toad, "I was thinking about the headline on the newspaper Maylark is reading." Luigi then inquires, "What about it? It's just some stolen fish." Mario then says, "No, it's more than that I seem to remember the princess last time I rescued her she mentioned how the only food to eat was vegan or vegetarian, while she was captured. Meaning that Bowser and his minions eat a plant based diet and don't eat any meat. Luigi and Toad in shock exclaim, "WHOA, SAY WHAT?!" Their eyes and mouths widen in such bewilderment and surprise. Maylark finally looks up from his newspaper and takes a puff from his pipe, he then looks around and chuckles to himself slightly and replies "So you guys are after Bowser, well Captain Stormy has the ship ready for whenever you guys are ready to sail, be careful though the sea is rough this morning but Stormy isn't called Stormy for nothing." Mario replies, "Thank you Maylark for everything and we will be careful." Mario, Luigi, and Toad then head out to the harbor where they find Captain Stormy waiting. Our heroes feast their eyes for the first time at the ship and the Captain they will be sailing with.

* * *

The ship is small but made of the finest wood from Illusion Forest, the flag that flies above the crow's nest has a embroidery crest of the royal crest with a symbol of a fish and a hazelnut. The sails themselves are a lovely tint of sky blue with white stripes breaking the solid pattern into a striped one. Captain Stormy is a mushroom man with a grey beard upon his face, he smells of oceanic salt, he has one eye covered with an eye patch, and upon his mushroom cap of blue spots he sports a captains hat of dark blue with a golden etching at the edges and the royal crest on the upper right corner. His outfit is a matching uniformed jacket which is also dark blue and has golden etching, the buttons are golden with mushrooms upon them, his boots are black and buckled. As they get closer to the Captain and the boat, Stormy exclaims "WELCOME, ABOARD! Ready to sail on the finest ship in all of the Mushroom Kingdom?!" Mario then responds,"Hello, Captain Stormy nice to meet you, and yes we are ready to sail." Our heroes board the ship and the sails fully lower as the wind begins to take them on their journey.

* * *

The captain turns his wheel as storm clouds begin to cover the skies as they reach the halfway point and are getting closer and closer to Bowser's Castle. Luigi fearfully chatters his teeth as a huge wave crashes against the side of the boat. Captain Stormy lets out a chuckle and fiercely continues to head straight into the storm. Mario then questions, "Captain is this normal, occurrence for such a terrible storm to form near the island." Stormy replies, "It sure is Mario, the storm comes from that castle across the waves that we are going to and it spans for miles until you reach the shores of Donut Mountain." Toad then says, "Wow, that is one huge storm. I wonder why the clouds originate from the castle?" Mario then chimes in and says, "It's because of the Magic Koopa, he harnesses his powers every midnight to create the storm." Toad then responds in astonishment, "OH! Where did you learn this Mario?" Mario then states, "The last time I was kicking Bowser's ass and stomping that castle into bricks to rescue the princess, and here we are again." Toad then says, "Ah…. at least you have an idea what we face." Silence then falls upon the group as the waves churn around them and the ship rocks fiercely, water splishes and splashes upon them, this continues for the rest of the day and into early next dawn when finally the sandy shores meet with the wooden vessel and our heroes climb down onto the dry land. Luigi briefly vomits beside where he stands and Toad looks over in disgust. Captain Stormy looks on and shakes his head he then states, "I will be here waiting with the ship for when you are ready to sail back." Mario waves at Stormy, and then turns to gaze upon the hill where Bowser castle resides, his heart races as he feels the flight of battle come over him and the thought of needing to save the princess.

* * *

Author's Notes: "To Be continued this is the third chapter in more to come soon! Please leave a review if you like, and only constructive criticism please! Thanks, I hope you had fun reading!"


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